Need NBI clearance? The process is now online

Job applicants of a supermarket sit on a pavement as they wait for their turn to be interviewed in Paranaque, Metro Manila, September 3, 2013. REUTERS/Erik De Castro (PHILIPPINES - Tags: BUSINESS EMPLOYMENT SOCIETY)

Finally, you no longer have to wait in line to get an NBI clearance for the application process many Filipinos have been complaining about is online.

The online NBI clearance application system has been launched Friday at the websites of the National Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department.

If you need the document, you should fill out the online form before going to the nearest NBI centers for payment, biometrics enrollment and release.

Some 5.6 million Filipinos were given clearances in 2013, NBI’s former biometrics service provider Realtime Data Management Services Inc. (RDMSI) said.

RDMSI data further showed that that since July 2011, an average of 21,000 people daily were given NBI clearances, a usual requirement in job applications.

NBI’s contract with RDMSI ended in December 2013, causing hiccups in the process. The agency stopped issuing of clearances in malls and satellite offices.

The NBI clearance system is now run by the Justice Department, under its National Justice Information System, which is aimed at linking justice sector institutions.